2013

by Arun Srivastava
Ostrich-like response to the prevailing politico-economic situation and reluctance of the leadership to firmly stand by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh’s policies and actions have been primarily responsible for the present pitiable condition of the Congress. Apparently it may appear that the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, has been putting a stiff challenge to the Congress and enjoys the trust of the Indian middle class; but the fact cannot be (…)

Pakistan Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s announcement to retire on November 29 was a lead story in his country’s media. Some newspapers had bannered it. Opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah welcomed the statement. In fact, there has been relief all over including in India that Kayani had announced his exit.
This was primarily because Kayani was consi-dered an ambitious General. Moreover, it was believed that there might be another coup because such has been the practice in the past. But (…)

”...Government have, however, noticed with regret that in practice members of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh have not adhered to their professed ideals. “Undesirable and even dangerous activities have been carried on by the members of the Sangh. It has been found that in several parts of the country individual members of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh have indulged in acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity and murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunitions. They have (…)

One of the main pillars of faith in a democratic system is that sooner or later justice will prevail because the existence of an open system and various checks and balances will ensure that injustice and arbitrariness are challenged and stopped at some stage. Unfortunately this faith has been badly shaken in the case of poor and marginalised people as in an increasingly callous system their com-plaints and problems are simply ignored in too many cases.
But what will happen to the faith in (…)

Part-I
“This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice.” 1
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Articulating the deep sense of shock and anguish over the dalit carnage executed by Ranvir Sena at village Laxamnpur Bathe in Bihar, President Dr K.R. Narayanan condemned it as “the national shame”. In the night of December 1, 1997, 58 Dalits—men, women and children—who included a four-month toddler, were murdered by the Ranvir Sena in cold blood without provocation. The Patna High Court (…)

COMMUNICATION
The following is the reply of Kobad Ghandy, the Marxist-Maoist thinker lodged in the Capital’s Tihar Jail, to the response of Bernard D’Mello, Deputy Editor, Economic and Political Weekly, Mumbai, to Kobad’s “Questions of Freedom and People’s Emanicipation” (a six-part essay that appeared in this journal, the first part on August 18, 2012, and the sixth on January 26, 2013). Bernard’s response was carried
in Mainstream (November 16, 2013)
Dear Bernard,
Many thanks for (…)

COMMUNICATION
Sailendranath Ghosh, who left us for his heavenly abode in October, will be remembered forever for his deep understanding and writings about an alternative development paradigm. His highly original, perceptive and path-showing writings on environment protection and alternative development path will be cherished for long. These will always remain an invaluable resource for those searching for a more ecologically protective, more humane and just development path.
I had the (…)

The ambush of a convoy killing 28 people returning from a rally with great impunity by the Maoists in the heart of Bastar in the month of May 2013 goes to prove their control over and the support of the tribal people who are in overwhelming majority in the area.
This ambush and killing constituted part of a series of carefully planned guerrilla assaults on high-profile targets. The Maoists tried to murder the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in 2003 and the Chief Minister of West Bengal in (…)

MUSINGS
It was around the spring of 1987 I had first met Nikhil Chakravartty for an interview. He was then the Chairman of NAMEDIA, editor of the weekly Mainstream, and his column in the Sunday Observer was said to be ‘the pulse of the country’s political scenario’.
In fact, before I had met him for that interview, I had heard him at various meets/discussions/ interactive sessions. There was something about Nikhil Chakravartty that had made him stand out. There was something about his (…)

by Bishwajit Sen
Who should be considered the gem of India? A cricketeer, a leader or a littérateur? This is the latest controversy that has been blowing since Sachin Tendulkar got this coveted award on retirement from Indian cricket. Most vociferous against the GOI decision are the leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party. Bereft of an issue (since the country did not explode into a spree of communal riots on the aftermath of the Patna Bomb explosions at Narendra Modi’s meeting venue) they have (…)